sketchy

adjective

ˈske-chē 

sketchier; sketchiest

1

: of the nature of a sketch : roughly outlined

2

: wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance : slight, superficial

the details are sketchy

3

: questionable, iffy

got into a sketchy situation

a sketchy character

sketchily

ˈske-chə-lē 

adverb

sketchiness

ˈske-chē-nəs 

noun

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The Varied Meanings of Sketchy

A sketch is a rough drawing usually done as an initial draft in contrast to a finished work. The word sketch suggests imperfection and a lack of refinement. It comes from the Dutch word schets and ultimately from the Italian verb schizzare, an imitative verb meaning "to splash."

Unsurprisingly, the adjective sketchy originally described something relating to or resembling a sketch, as in "a sketchy portrait." But because sketches are by nature rough and ill-defined, sketchy soon came to mean "wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance," as in "a sketchy understanding" or "sketchy details."

What lacks completeness, clearness, or substance is also subject to doubt or challenge, and sketchy went on to develop uses applying to what is questionable or iffy, either for physically obvious qualities or for something less tangible. In sports we see this sense of sketchy applied to a track or surface that is poorly maintained, as in "a sketchy track," and in broader use it is applied to streets and neighborhoods that can also be described as seedy, as in "a sketchy part of town."

The adjective has more recently extended in use to describe someone who creates an impression of unsavoriness, or something that comes from an untrustworthy source or is itself untrustworthy, as in "a sketchy dude" or "a scheme that sounds sketchy."

Examples of sketchy in a Sentence

The details about the accident are still a little sketchy.

I have only a sketchy idea of how it works.

Recent Examples on the Web

What leaders achieved at Davos is never immediately obvious—the details of the Greenland deal, for one, are still sketchy—but by showing up, Davos participants were at least coming together with an instinct to connect. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026

And while the plaça itself can get a bit sketchy at night, the entrance to the hotel itself is set on the quiet, elegant Carrer de Casp, on the posh right side of l’Eixample. —Isabelle Kliger, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026

Today, that effort centers on limiting the amount of sketchy AI videos that circulate. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026

Turn your back on anything sketchy, and gravitate toward what is demonstrated, strategic, proven. —Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sketchy

adjective

ˈskech-ē 

sketchier; sketchiest

1

: of the nature of a sketch : roughly outlined

2

: lacking completeness, clearness, or substance : slight, vague